During his recent visit to Pittsburgh, President Joe Biden had a lot to say about roads and bridges and America’s crumbling infrastructure — mere hours after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed. But notably, he failed to mention another critical public resource to which the people of Pittsburgh have called attention for years: Our water.

For decades, city governments have had to deal with a lack of federal and state funding and resulting threadbare budgets. Here in Pittsburgh, under Mayor Bill Peduto, that meant turning management of the city’s water over to a private, profit-driven company — Veolia North America — which resulted in dangerously high lead levels in our water. Veolia had recommended $2 million in budget cuts in addition to a debt restructuring deal that would save Pittsburgh $3 million per year.

On its face, that sounded great, but in reality, it all came at the expense of the people’s well-being. Communities faced water shutoffs, boil-water advisories and significant billing errors, especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Veolia raised residents’ rates, cut inspection staff and jeopardized the health of our city’s families.

But the people of Pittsburgh did what they do best: fought back.

In a new case study, “Water as Public Good: Pittsburgh’s Our Water Campaign,” Pittsburgh United and Demos outline how a diverse coalition of organizers and community residents stood up against privatization, demanding that the city live up to its obligation to keep the water system public.

Public pressure and a class action lawsuit eventually forced the city to end its contract with Veolia, but problems within the authority persisted. In 2017, when Peduto was considering a new contract, now with People’s Gas — the largest natural gas supplier in the region — Pittsburgh United mobilized.

Members of the Our Water Campaign knocked on doors and distributed free water filters and pitchers to neighbors most affected by the crisis. We talked to people about the problems they were facing, how privatization caused those problems and why public control of their water was the solution. We organized community members to attend Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority board meetings, give public comments about residents’ needs, and demand that PWSA stay public.

Our message was clear: Our public goods are not for sale. We needed community control of our water, not deals that line private companies’ pockets.

After months of community organizing and outcry from members of the Our Water Campaign and the public, ultimately, City Council and Peduto signed the Our Water, Our Rivers pledge to keep PWSA public now and into the future. We pushed PWSA to create community advisory committees so that customers could advise the authority on various issues. PWSA also promised to provide flexible payment plans on water bills, full replacement of lead water lines and a moratorium on water shutoffs during the winter.

The story of Pittsburgh United’s fight — one of communities organizing in Pittsburgh to push back against a private water giant — shows that people can successfully resist the corporatization of essential infrastructure. When communities stand up in the face of privatization to keep public goods public — and fight for their human right to clean water — they can, and do, win. But their government needs to have their back.

After years of failure to invest in infrastructure at the federal level, we finally have an administration in the White House that recognizes it as a priority. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $55 billion in funding to strengthen our water system, which includes eliminating the lead pipes that endangered generations of Americans, including here in Pittsburgh.

The funding is essential after years of disinvestment, but it doesn’t go far enough. Nationally, there has only been $15 billion allocated for lead removal. To get the job done right, we need $60 billion.

If the Biden administration is serious about preventing future water crises, it must commit to more public spending on climate-resilient infrastructure and ensure that communities and organizations like Pittsburgh United play a leading role in deciding how the money is spent. Government at all levels must be transparent in their decision-making process.

Pittsburgh and Veolia’s choice to put profit over people put the city’s families at risk in the past. But through a combination of continued investment, transparency and a commitment to give community members a seat at the table, we can build toward a better future.

Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy is the executive director of Pittsburgh United, a coalition of community, labor, faith and environmental organizations committed to advancing the vision of a community and economy that work for all people. Taifa Smith Butler is the president of Demos, a think tank that powers the movement for a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy.

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